Detonator
Detonator was the first robot from the Dartford Girls Grammar team, which initially competed in Series 1 of Robot Wars. In its heat, it reached the Trial stage, where reliability problems resulted in it being eliminated there after not moving at all during the British Bulldog trial. The robot made a one-off return for the War of Independence, which was filmed and broadcast as part of Series 4. One of four robots representing the UK, Detonator lost its first-round battle to American representative frenZy after sustaining heavy damage from the latter’s hammer. Design Detonator was a green dome-shaped robot armed with several steel side spikes and a long sawn-off pipe which was intended to be used as a battering ram. It was one of the few robots in Series 1 to be petrol-powered, using a lawnmower engine for forward drive and a Vauxhall Cavalier starter motor for reverse drive, and had a decorative light sensor which the team described would 'confuse' opponents. With a top speed of 4mph and wheels sourced from wheelchairs and wheelbarrows, Detonator suffered from numerous manoeuvrability, control and reliability problems that hampered its progress in the Gauntlet and ultimately saw it fail to move at all during its Trial. For the Series 4 War of Independence, Detonator remained largely unchanged, although it received upgrades which made it 20kg heavier than in Series 1, as well as yellow and black hazard tape along its base. The Team Detonator was the first robot to be built by technology teacher David Crosby and his students at Dartford Girls Grammar School. Crosby captained the team, while Clare Greenaway was the lead speaker in most of the team's interviews in Series 1, and drove the robot in battle. Victoria Allgood was also present for Detonator's Series 1 campaign, while in Series 4, David Crosby's daughter Tegan filled the third position. Robot History Series 1 Detonator competed in Heat B, and was the fourth competitor in that heat to attempt the Gauntlet. It immediately attempted to drive off the turntable, but got stuck on the end as one of its side spikes caught a turntable wall and spun it sideways. After spending a considerable amount of time stuck on the turntable, Detonator was freed by Shunt before being pushed and axed across the arena, much to David Crosby's exasperation. Detonator stood motionless as Shunt continued pushing it, before suddenly driving forwards into the start of the maze as time ran out. This last-minute surge was enough for Detonator to reach a distance of 7.00m, putting it fifth in the results table and allowing it to qualify for the Trial stage. Before the British Bulldog trial, the Dartford Girls Grammar team discovered that Detonator was having steering problems, which prevented it from being able to turn left. The robot was late entering the arena as the team attempted to resolve the problem, with Crosby suggesting that the axle blades should be cleaned in order to make the front wheel turn more freely. More problems ensued once the Trial began, with Detonator failing to move at all after 'activate' was called. After a short while, Detonator appeared to crawl slowly across the arena, but not towards the end zone, before Sergeant Bash proceeded to ram it against the railings. Watching from the pits with the other roboteers, Crosby eventually left in frustration over Detonator's lack of mobility. As a result, Detonator was eliminated from The First Wars, with Crosby later explaining that the robot's batteries had run flat before the start of the trial. Occupied with the repairs to its steering, the team had forgotten to charge them beforehand, resulting in Detonator failing to move at all. Series 4 Detonator made a one-off return for the War of Independence special, as one of four robots representing the United Kingdom. Its first-round battle saw it face US representative frenZy, and in the opening moments it drove sluggishly in an attempt to avoid frenZy's meat tenderiser. However, frenZy immediately smashed Detonator's top armour with its first few blows, leaving it crumpled as Detonator attempted to drive away. Another series of attacks from frenZy left Detonator's shell almost completely flattened, and it lay immobilised as frenZy accidentally got its hammer stuck through the arena floor. Detonator sustained more damage from frenZy before being dragged around the arena and smacked by its hammer. It was eventually smacked and pushed onto a flame jet as frenZy continued damaging its shell, before catching fire and having its top panel dislodged. frenZy axed Detonator's now-exposed internals repeatedly until Shunt and Dead Metal attacked Detonator, with the former pushing it onto the Floor Flipper. Detonator was thrown across the arena before being pitted by Sergeant Bash, and was eliminated from the War of Independence. Results |} Wins/Losses *Wins: 0 *Losses: 1 NOTE: Detonator's Gauntlet and Trial runs are not included Series Record Detonator pits.jpg|Detonator in the pits Detonator insides.jpg|The insides of Detonator Detonator Pits.png|Detonator is maintained in the pits Trivia *The night before filming of Series 1 began, Detonator exploded during testing, which resulted in the team having to make frantic repairs before it was due to appear: *Detonator was drafted into the War of Independence as a last-minute replacement for Hypno-Disc, either to ensure the success of at least one American entry, or due to the damage Hypno-Disc sustained during the Grand Final. It is unknown why Detonator was used instead of Dartford Girls Grammar's Series 4 entry, Shadow of Napalm. *Both of Detonator's appearances were in the same episodes that Mortis also competed in. **Coincidentally, the War of Independence marked the final appearances of both Detonator and Mortis. *Detonator was the first UK heavyweight robot to lose to an American competitor. External Links *The archived Detonator website References Category:UK Series competitors Category:UK Representatives Category:Robots from Kent Category:Robots with multiple appearances without winning a battle Category:Robots with Spears Category:Robots from Schools or Universities Category:Robots that only progressed in the Gauntlet or Trials Category:Robots which debuted in Series 1 Category:Robots with cameo appearances in Series 2